Resolved questionsDo you use "How do you do?" I think "Nice to meet you" is more popular. Are there any differences between two?

Additional Details:

Thanks for answerig my question.

I learned how to answer "how do you do" is only "how do you do" at school. James and Cherry seem to have different answers.
Does it depend on each country? Can I use "how do you do" for same persons and acquaintances in different occasions repeatedly for every country? In that case, is "how do you do" understood as "how are you?"

Answers

Whilst they mean effectively the same thing, there is a big difference in feeling between "how do you do" and "nice to meet you".

First, please note that "how do you do" is not a question, so there should be no question mark. The correct reply to "how do you do" is simply "how do you do", not "fine, thank you".

The difference between these two expressions is that "how do you do" is formal, and "nice to meet you" is informal (it's also very American). If I meet somebody important, or if I wanted to make a good impression, I would say "how do you do". I would never say "nice to meet you" as this sounds too informal, and in the UK it is also considered to be poor English and may be considered by some to show a lack of class and education. If you want to use this kind of expression, I think "pleased to meet you" would be much better.

Whether they are formal or informal ,used or out of use a main difference is the way you answer both of them.

'How do you do?' or "how are you doing?' is likely to be answered this way:- I am fine thank you .It is a courteous inquiry about one's well being.

'Nice to meet you' will be often answered with:'Nice to meet you too.'Here it is expressing the feeling of gladness and pleasure to meet someone.

Another main difference between both is that ' how do you do?' could be used several times repetitively with same persons and acquaintances in different occasions, while 'nice to meet you' is a greeting exchanged for introduction when meeting someone for the first time.

Cherry, the phrase "how do you do" is not a question, it is simply a greeting. It is completely incorrect to answer it with "I'm fine, thank you". The correct response to "how do you do" is "how do you do". No other response is correct.